Paper prepared for presentation at the joint meeting of the Society for the Social Studies of Science and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, Bielefeld, Germany, October 10-13, 1996, session on "The Sociology of Public Statistics. Published as “Legitimacy, controversies and translation in public statistics: the experience of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics”, Science, Technology & Society 1999, 4, 1, Jan-June, 1-34.
Abstract: Describes the daily activities of the Brazilian Instit of Geography & Statistics (IBGE) & explores how knowledge about different aspects of society is built at the frontier where different actors & institutions interact. Focus is on how public statistics developed in the institutional context. How different interest groups with varying perspectives on the nature & character of statistical information & knowledge influenced the institute is also examined. Controversies about statistical knowledge, struggles for institutional legitimacy, & how, eventually, some sort of consensus is reached are discussed in the context of IBGE. 68 References. Adapted from the source document

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